Pakistan Economy - News & Updates - Archive

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$25.058 million outflow recorded on equity market ​

KARACHI (January 12 2009): A massive outflow of $25.058 million of foreign portfolio investment from the country's equity market was witnessed during the week ended on January 10, 2009. According to National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited (NCCPL) data, the cumulative outflow of this mode of investment had increased to $49.557 million from January 1 to date.

"The foreign portfolio investment has been witnessing a declining trend since the beginning of 2008, as a cumulative figure of this mode of investment has recorded negative $432.458 million from January 1, 2008 to January 9, 2009", an analyst said.

The outflow of foreign investment in the country's equity market started mainly due to political uncertainty and geo political situation. The NCCPL data shows that the week started with a negative trend a net outflow of $4,359,388 was witnessed on Monday. This trend continued as the offshore investors withdrew another $1,166,368 on Tuesday. The market remained closed on Wednesday and Thursday. A massive outflow of this mode of investment was witnessed on Friday as the foreign investors withdrew $19,532,490 on the last day of the week.

 

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Over Rs 5.5 billion uplift projects launched in Mirpur​

MIRPUR (January 12 2009): Under an extensive development package to ameliorate the living standard of the common man, development projects worth over Rs 5.50 billion have been launched in Mirpur district under the spirit to raise the living standard of the people through providing latest means of communications and civic amenities close to their doorsteps, official sources said.

The sources told APP here on Sunday that development targets relating to various projects launched by Mangla Dam Resettlement Organisation, local government, public health engineering, highway, building division, electricity departments and the civic institutions in the division will be completed within stipulated period set separately for each project.

An effective and comprehensive system was also being introduced to monitor the pace of development works in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The AJK government has recently directed the officials of the nation building departments to focus for ensuring the quality of the development works side by side pace of their execution. The AJK administration has particularly advised the departments that the public exchequer should be spent on the national and public interest-oriented projects coupled with the quality development work which could always be remembered to the coming generations.

According to the official sources, funds were available for the development projects in Azad Kashmir. The sources said that under a policy determined by the newly formed AJK government of Prime Minister Sardar Yaqoob Ahmed Khan, the accountability system in AJK would be further improved.

They said that under the proposed monitoring system to assess the pace of the construction work on the development projects, the divisional commissioners and the deputy commissioners, who have been given the additional charge as heads of the civic and development institutions in all eight AJK districts, would undertake inspections of the work in progress in their respective divisions. They would submit their development reports to the government regularly. The AJK government has also directed the officers to monitor the pace and quality of the development works by making frequent visits of the projects in the field launched by their respective departments.

 

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Increased water discharge to boost power generation ​

Monday, January 12, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Water discharge from the Tarbela Dam has been substantially increased, helping generate the much-needed power for the energy-starved country, thanks to Sindh for taking a lead in re-opening its canals after a countrywide closure.

“The daily discharge from Tarbela has increased from 8,000 to 12,000 cusecs, which means the availability of 4,000 cusecs of water for hydropower generation,” officials in the Sindh Irrigation Department told The News.

Sindh Irrigation Secretary Shuja Junejo, when contacted, said the Sukkur Barrage would be opened from January 21, 2008, for which the province required a water discharge with gradual enhancements.

“We have not formally presented our calculations to the water regulator but definitely we need it as the travel time of water is almost 8-10 days from the Tarbela Dam,” Junejo added. The irrigation secretary said his department would formally notify the increase in its indents. “Exactly,” was his response to a query if the province required around four to five thousand cusecs of water immediately and then a gradual increase on a day-to-day basis in its share from Tarbela.

The 12,000 cusecs, sources in the Ministry of Water and Power said, were enough to help alleviate the ongoing loadshedding, as the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) said the total shortage stood at 1,700 megawatts on Friday. “The water releases would continue to be increased from now onward.”

After smooth oil supplies, the power generation was recorded at 8,800 megawatt against the requirement of almost 10,500 megawatt, bringing the shortfall down to 1,700 from 4,500 megawatt, Pepco official Tahir Basharat Cheema explained.

The Sindh government, the sources disclosed, had conveyed to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) its water indent of 12,000 cusecs a day for canals that had reopened after the de-silting work and that it would start receiving water at the Sukkur Barrage.

“In real terms, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) can supply electricity to the Pepco according to its requirements, provided this water is utilised without a single drop being wasted,” a Water and Power Ministry official remarked.

In accordance with the Sindh indent, the water discharge has been accepted with immediate effect. The water takes a week to 10 days for flowing from Tarbela to the Sindh province.The entire Tarbela water discharge (12,000 cusecs a day) would be available to Sindh, which will get another 8,000 cusecs daily from the Kabul River and its tributaries’ system.

Sindh has placed an indent of 20 thousand cusecs daily. In a day or two, the Thal and Chashma-Jhelum link canals would be closed by the Punjab to divert water to the low-riparian province.

 

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Coal-fired power plants may be close at hand ​

By Sabihuddin Ghausi

Sunday, 11 Jan, 2009

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KARACHI: The Sindh Coal Energy Board, headed by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, is holding its crucial meeting on Tuesday (January 13) to consider three investment proposals for coal-mining and setting up of coal-fired electric power generation plants.

Well-placed sources revealed that investment proposals were given by Jehangir Siddiqui, Engro and Al-Tuwairaqi that were processed and scrutinised by a four-member committee, headed by Syed Asad Ali Shah, and have been recommended for a further follow up consideration.

The board had received six investment proposals, and three were apparently discarded after each of the three sponsors was unable to find a suitable technical partner.

Sources in the Sindh government are not certain as to how many of four federal government nominees on the board will turn up on Tuesday’s meeting. The four members are deputy chairman of Planning Commission, federal law minister and federal minister of power and natural resources and federal secretary of power and natural resources.

The meeting of the board has been convened after media reports that the Punjab government is moving swiftly to attract foreign and local investors for setting up coal-fired electric generation projects.

With hardly 265 million tons of coal reserves, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, has managed to attract established investors in Hong Kong to visit his province to explore setting up of coal-fired projects.

Only this week, the Punjab government announced setting up of four coal-fired electric generation projects of 50 MW each at four different places.

Under the policy, the provinces have been empowered to sanction and implement 50 MW power stations in their territory.

In another development, a four-member World Bank mission reached Karachi on Saturday for a two-week visit to assist the government in technical evaluation of investment proposals. Headed by Mr Michael Stanley, the World Bank team will be joined by three Pakistani consultants.

On Jan 15, the Sindh government is organising an international seminar on investment opportunities in Sindh minerals. One full session will be devoted to coal reserves in the province.

 

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65,000 tons of Iranian crude arrive on deferred payment ​

By Aamir Shafaat Khan

Sunday, 11 Jan, 2009

KARACHI: A ship carrying 65,000 tons of crude oil from Iran arrived at the port on Friday under the deferred payment facility.

Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) had signed an agreement last month with National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which had extended the credit facility for the payment of crude oil to 90 days from 30 days.

Bosicor Refinery Limited (BRL) had also signed the agreement.

General manager Supply and Planning of PRL Aftab Husain, who accompanied the government delegation which recently visited Iran, said that the refinery would now import up to 30,000 barrels per day of Iranian light crude instead of 10,000 barrels.

Every month the PRL would at least import two cargoes of 65,000 tons each. The value of each cargo ranges between $22-23 million, he said.

When asked whether there was any difference between Iranian crude and the Light Arab crude, which is mainly imported by Pakistan, Mr Aftab said there was no major difference as both were competing crude in the world and their characteristics were almost same.

PRL had also signed an agreement with Economic Cooperation Organisation Bank (ECO Bank) in Turkey for the loan of $50 million to facilitate the import of crude oil from Iran.

The PRL managing director and chief financial officer had signed the agreement in Istanbul on Thursday, he added.

Under this agreement, the issue of opening of letters of credit (LCs) would minimise with the help of central banks of the two countries, he said.

The PRL also imports crude oil from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company apart from processing local crude, he said.

Bosicor Refinery Limited managing director Mohammad Wasi Khan told Dawn that the next cargo of 65,000 tons for the refinery would be coming in a week’s time.

He said that the agreement on deferred payment with Iran would help building foreign exchange reserves of the country by extending the payment period to 90 days.

He added that since the company had entered into an agreement first time and it can import Iranian crude up to 25,000 barrels per day.

 

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President says Pakistan will produce indigenous fuels ​

By Syed Irfan Raza

Tuesday, 13 Jan, 2009

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said the government will provide complete secure environment for the foreign investors intending to start different projects in Pakistan.

Talking to a German delegation at President House, the president said economic reforms of the country were creating an enabling environment for the private sector to become an engine of growth. The delegation of a leading industrial group of Germany was led by Dr. Olaf Berlien.

‘This region is more conducive for investment and Pakistan provides link to Central Asia and other important Asian countries,’ he said and appreciated interest of the group for investment in Pakistan.

In a separate briefing on ‘Fuel Ethanol Policy’ at President House, the president said reducing reliance on imported fuels was critical for the country's economic stability and called for adopting measures on war footing to achieve self reliance by producing indigenous fuels during the term of the government.

He said that the recent volatility in oil prices shooting up to over $150 a barrel and environmental concerns had further enhanced the need for developing alternate fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

‘The world is moving fast towards developing new fuel technologies and Pakistan could not afford to lag behind,’ he said.

The President said indigenously produced ethanol and biodiesel could help in achieving import substitution and also enable us escape the hazards of oil price volatility.

He, however, cautioned so that food production was not adversely impacted. The briefing was attended by Shaukat Tarin, Finance Advisor, Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Federal Minister for Industries and Production and Secretaries and senior officials of Finance and Petroleum Ministries and members of the Planning Commission, Chairman PARC and President ZTBL.

Giving briefing on the subject Member (Energy) of the Planning Commission Pervez Butt highlighted strategic priorities for replacing domestic gasoline use with biofuels over the next few years requiring substantial increase in mandatory biofuel use.

He said that ethanol is environmentally friendly. It was pointed out in the meeting that although corn is a renewable resource it had lower energy yield than either biodiesel (such as soybean oil) or ethanol from many other plants.

 

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Industrial group of Germany keen to invest in joint venture projects in Pakistan ​

Monday January 12, 2009

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of a leading industrial group of Germany led by Dr. Olaf Berlien, which called on President Asif Ali Zardari in Presidency on Monday, expressed its keen interest to invest in joint venture projects in Pakistan and bring direct foreign investment in the country in a number of areas.
Dr. Olaf Berlien informed the President that their industrial group was one of the world‘s largest steel producers and operated worldwide in steel, capital goods, and services.

The President appreciated interest for investment in Pakistan and said that the economic reforms of the country were creating an enabling environment for the private sector to become an engine of growth.

He said that Pakistan has become one of the attractive destinations for investment due to its liberal and investment-friendly policies. He said that this region is more conducive for investment and Pakistan provides link to Central Asia and other important Asian countries.

Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Federal Minister for Industries and Production and Secretaries of Petroleum and Industries Ministries were also present in the meeting.

 

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Pakistan studies waste-to-energy project​

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Pakistan is working with U.S.-based company Sheladia on a viability study for a waste-to-energy plant.

The proposed plant would be built in Karachi and would generate up to 10 megawatts of power. The project is being funded by the United States through Pakistan's Alternative Energy Development Board, the News International reports.

The study is expected to take about five months and cost about $325,000. If the plant is found to be a beneficial project, plans would be set up under a public-private partnership.

"Not only such a project will administer local waste, it will also add to power generation, lessen load-shedding and use renewable energy resources for increasing the security of energy supply," said AEDB Chief Executive Officer Arif Alauddin.

He noted the project will be the first of its kind for Pakistan.

"It is really encouraging to note that an agreement between AEDB and Sheladia would be signed in a week's time, which will not only expand electricity production sources but would also make a modest contribution to reducing the energy deficit facing the country," said Richard O'Shea, representing the U.S. Consulate General in Karachi.

 

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Pakistan’s Inflation Slows After Four Rate Increases ​

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s inflation eased from near a three-decade high in December after the central bank raised its benchmark interest rate four times in 2008.

Consumer prices in South Asia’s second-largest economy increased 23.34 percent from a year earlier after gaining 24.68 percent in November, the Federal Bureau of Statistics said in Islamabad today. Analysts were expecting a 22.6 percent increase.

Slower inflation may allow the State Bank of Pakistan to refrain from another rate increase in its next policy statement later this month, economists said. The central bank promised the International Monetary Fund as part of a $7.6 billion bailout to raise borrowing costs if foreign reserves drop too low.

“Given our declining inflationary numbers and stable exchange rate outlook, we expect interest rates to decline in coming months,” said Muhammad Imran Khan, an analyst at First Capital Securities Ltd. in Karachi. “An interim cut in the key policy rate between January and July cannot be ruled out.”

Former Governor Shamshad Akhtar on Nov. 12 raised the central bank’s key rate by 2 percentage points to 15 percent, describing the move as “the toughest decision of my life.” The bank pledged to the IMF to increase the rate again if foreign reserves fell below $1.165 billion at the end of December.

Pakistan was forced to turn to the IMF for a rescue package after its reserves shrunk 75 percent in a year to $3.45 billion. The rupee declined as much as 26 percent last year.

Pakistan’s economy may miss this year’s growth targets and inflation may remain as high as 22 percent, the central bank said in annual report on Dec. 6. The pace of expansion in the fiscal year to June 30 may slow to between 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent, compared with a target of 5.8 percent, it said.

Consumer prices increased an average 24.43 percent in the July to December period, compared with 8.01 percent a year earlier, according to the government’s agency.

 

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Zero outflow from Mangla to widen power deficit ​

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Zero water outflows from Mangla from Tuesday would compound the miseries of Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) as it would increase hydel shortfall at a time when the whole country is facing prolonged power outages.

At present, PEPCO is getting 500 megawatts of electricity for five hours through the release of 12,000 cusecs of water from Terbela and 5,000 cusecs from Mangla. However, the power deficit would widen to about 300MW by stoppage of outflows from Mangla. “PEPCO is exerting pressure on the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) not to stop water releases, as it would cause more pain to it,” a senior official told The News.

When contacted, IRSA spokesman Rana Khalid said that IRSA acts as per the demand of the federating units. “Punjab has closed all its barrages and canals and has placed zero indent for water, both from Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs.”

“By releasing 12,000 cusecs per day and 8,000 cusecs from Kabul river, we are catering to the water needs of Sindh, the low riparian province of the country,” he said. Both dams currently have 1.8 million acre feet of water and storage is expected to improve in the days to come as IRSA is expecting an effective rain spell in the next three days. “This spell will help improve the water storage in the country and will reduce demand of the four federating units too,” he hoped.

When contacted, Tahir Basharat Cheema, spokesman for PEPCO, said that from Tuesday water outflows from Mangla will halt, which would affect hydropower generation. To a question, he said that power shortfall is 1,700MW as power generation stands at 9,300MW against demand of 11,000MW.

“Right now we are getting electricity through IPPs, Wapda thermal houses and hydel. However from January 17 we will be having round the clock 300MW nuclear power, as Chashma Nuclear Power Plant which was closed some 5 months back for annual maintenance would come on stream,” Cheema said.

 

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Germany keen to set up wind turbine industry ​

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Germany has shown interest in joining hands with Pakistan in setting up wind turbine industries and negotiations are under way. Islamabad has also asked Berlin to invest in Pakistan’s fertiliser sector in order to meet the requirement of the commodity.

Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo during a meeting with the members of a German trade delegation, headed by Dr Olaf Berlien, Chairman Thyssen Krupp Technology said here on Monday, “Developing wind turbine technology is the need of our farmers and our rural areas in which the German government was rich and showed interest.”

The government would encourage foreign and local investment in setting up fertiliser plants in the country besides other fields as there was immense potential available for investment due to the government’s policy, he said.

Wattoo said agro-based industries were also very beneficial for investment. The government would encourage public-private partnership and joint ventures in setting up agro-based industries.

The minister said Pakistan Steel Mills’ expansion plan was under consideration of the government due to the demand of steel in the country. "The government will provide all possible help to the sector for development.”

Dr Olaf Berlien said Germany was keen on investing in Pakistan in various sectors and wants to establish industries in joint ventures in many fields especially agro-based industry, automobile industry and the steel sector. He said on the next visit to Pakistan they will visit rural areas to review the possibility of investment in this field.

 

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Chinese firm starts survey for power project ​

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

KARACHI: A Chinese firm on Monday said it has started underground hydrological surveys in Sindh as part of a coal-mining and power generation project.

China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) has entered concluding stages of evaluation process of its leased area of 57 sq km in Sonda Jerruk coal field of District Thatta, a company official said.

“As a large-scale state-owned company in China, CMC has effectively urbanized coal mines in countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam, with rich international experience accrued in this field,” it said in a press release.

Sonda-Jherruk coal mine and power plant project is expected at generating around 405 megawatts of electricity using coal. The hydrological survey will assist ascertain the amount of underground water, essential for power generation purpose. The tariff is still to be determined and definite work on mining is expected to start by middle of this year, the company official said, adding that an earlier study has established availability of 1.8 million tonnes of coal per year.

 

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President for self-reliance in fuel ​

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday urged measures on war-footing to achieve self-reliance in indigenous fuel, as oil imports impacted the country’s economic stability.

During a briefing on “Fuel Ethanol Policy” at the President House, President Zardari said recent volatility in oil prices to over $147 a barrel and environmental concerns had pointed to the need for developing alternative fuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel. The world was moving rapidly towards developing new fuel technologies and Pakistan cannot afford to lag behind.

The President said indigenously produced ethanol and bio-diesel could help achieve import substitution besides avoiding oil price volatility. However, the President said caution must also be exercised so that food production was not adversely impacted. The briefing was attended by Finance Advisor Shaukat Tarin, Minister for Industries and Production Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Secretaries and senior officials of Finance and Petroleum Ministries, members of Planning Commission, Chairman PARC and President ZTBL.

Member (Energy) Planning Commission Pervez Butt highlighted strategic priorities for replacing domestic gasoline use with bio-fuel over the next few years requiring substantial increase in its mandatory use.

He said ethanol was environmentally friendly. It was pointed that corn was a renewable resource and had lower energy yield than either bio-diesel (such as soybean oil) or ethanol from many other plants.

During the presentation it was informed that Pakistan like many other major sugarcane-producing nations enjoyed significant advantages in producing ethanol, including ample agricultural land, warm climates amenable to vast sugarcane plantations, and on-site distilleries that can process cane immediately after harvest.

It was pointed that Ethanol was being mixed in different proportions in motor gasoline in many countries and a 10 per cent mix was referred to as “E-10”. He said the government was considering various measures to promote the use of E-10.

 

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Gems industry neglected despite trade potential ​

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

KARACHI: Lack of documented trading in the gems and jewellery sector has led to the industry being neglected despite having tremendous potential for foreign trade, especially with US markets.

This non-traditional sector, as of June 2007, was worth US$210 million with over a million people directly associated with it, and yet these figures do not represent the true picture as most of the transactions go unrecorded.

CEO of Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company (PGJDC), Fawad Khan in an interview with The News shared that negligence on part of the government had caused great harm to the gems industry until some years ago when it finally decided to identify the non-traditional sectors which could contribute to the GDP and the economy.

Khan said that until two years ago, the gems sector did not even have a proper gem lab where gems could be identified and rated. Citing an incident, he said even the hub of gems industry, Peshawar, lacked a gem lab and anyone wanting gems tested had to travel to Dubai.

Khan stated that some gems and jewellery dealers in Pakistan have small gem labs in their shops but their usage was limited and the stakeholders, buyers and sometimes even sellers, had no access to a common lab which anyone could make use of.

He informed that it was PGJDC which introduced the first common gem lab in Pakistan along with a gem exchange where all sorts of facilities were available for gem trading. Khan said that PGJDC was formed in June 2006 but started their operations in April 2007.

He added that their initial task was to identify five essential projects and over a period of two years they established three Common Facility Training and Manufacturing Centres in Karachi, Lahore, Gilgit and two gem exchanges in Peshawar and Quetta.

Khan informed that while the Quetta gem exchange is yet to begin its operations, which is expected to be within a month’s time, the Peshawar gem exchange had already received a tremendous response and was fully operational.

“We have started charging a small fee this month onwards, though earlier the facilities were free as we wanted to develop the culture of documented trading in a gem exchange,” he said. He continued, “People come to trade there, test their gems in the gem lab established within the exchange, buy and sell, etc. In fact, Habib Bank Ltd agreed to record all financial transactions taking place in the exchange as we do not have a proper bank outlet set up as yet.”

“We also got approval from the Federal Board of Revenue to deal with exporters who want to export their gems. An FBR representative would come to the exchange, examine the items to be exported and then seal them, hence, facilitating that aspect of the trading too,” he added.

Khan further said that PGJDC also helped introduce pattern making in wax for the first time in Pakistan which led to lesser time being consumed, less wastage of precious metals and eventually lower costs towards making the final product.

He said that earlier, designers carved out patterns directly on the metal (gold or silver) itself and if the slightest mistake was made, then the process had to be started all over again. “With wax patterns, the entire process became simpler and contributed immensely towards the gems and jewelry sector,” he articulated.

Have security issues in the tribal areas affected the gems industry in any way? Khan doesn’t seem to think so. He maintained that the acts of terrorism and other security issues did cause hindrance in the business but had not damaged the industry in any significant manner.

“Both the customers and buyers know each other and find ways to interact. Many even come down to Karachi and conduct their dealings here. Similarly, the mining process has not been affected in recent weeks as weather plays a great role.

It is cold out there and those are areas which witness snowfall, so there isn’t a great deal of mining being done right now anyway,” he said. Moving on, Khan also shared that Pakistan is still exempted from the 6 per cent import duty on gems import in the US, which India has now implemented on it. “Now India is trying to re-label its products and send them through our channels and make Pakistan its base” he expressed. “However, we don’t want that. We would like India to bring its gems industry to Pakistan but at the same time, set up manufacturing plants so that it creates jobs for our people and contributes towards our economy,” he added.

He said that this process would also bring in the neighboring country’s skills and designs into Pakistan. “PGJDC is also making constant efforts to conduct trainings all over Pakistan to upgrade the skills of our gem dealers,” he stated.

Khan informed that PGJDC has already conducted over 80 workshops in Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Abbotabad and Quetta and these trainings are given in the field and on the sites “rather than in fancy hotel rooms”.

The CEO shared that these efforts were being made as the government had set targets for the company which they were keen to achieve. “Our target is to take the sector to $500 million by 2011 and $1.5 billion by 2017 and that is only possible by improving the skills of our gems dealers and providing incentives, which would encourage them to deal under the official grounds, which would help towards documentation of the industry.”

 

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ILO to aid Balochistan’s development programme​

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

ISLAMABAD: International Labour Organistaion (ILO) will provide a technical assistance to development initiative 2009-2013 planned by the government of Balochistan while focusing on promotion of overseas youth employment (50,000 in 5 years) and child labour free Balochistan.

This was highlighted by Donglin Li, Country Director, ILO office for Pakistan. Li together with an ILO delegation held a meeting with Sardar Muhammad Aslam Khan Raisani, Chief Minister of Balochistan to discuss this development initiative, says a statement issued by the ILO office here on Monday.

The ILO delegation was visiting Quetta on the special invitation of the CM to initiate formal discussions for the design of a medium term programme and strategy to mobilize a donor support.

At the request of the CM, ILO will also give a technical support to the government of Balochistan’s planned “development partners conference” to be organised in Islamabad later this year. The objective of this conference is to mobilize the donor support for the Balochistan’s development initiative focusing on overseas youth employment and eradication of child labour.

In the past, ILO has been working in the close collaboration with the provincial labour department, other government agencies, employers and workers organizations, and other development partners in the fields of occupational safety and health in the mining industry, institutional capacity development, non-formal education to rehabilitate child labourers, and interventions related to the emergency response.

The ILO has also helped train poor women in selected trades, carried out leadership training programmes for women trade unions leaders, sensitized provincial parliamentarians on the women employment concerns, and given research grants to university students to conduct research.

Another pipeline project, with the funding from the European Commission (10 million euro), will support Pakistan’s efforts to implement its national skills strategy and by strengthening the national skills development system.